Belting idea that Radcliffe Borough

Times are hard. Petrol prices are soaring, food bills are going through the roof, and wages are failing to keep up.

Times are hard. Petrol prices are soaring, food bills are going through the roof, and wages are failing to keep up.

So asking hard-working people to cough-up their cash to watch sport is becoming more and more difficult.

Even the mighty United – who once had a season-ticket waiting list stretching the length of the Ship Canal – now have seats left in the stands.

And it is even worse the lower down the football pyramid you go, with clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two struggling to get people through the turnstiles.

Clubs have to be pro-active if they are to bring in much-needed revenue through the gates. And Radcliffe Borough did just that on Saturday. Instead of charging fans the usual £7 to watch their Evo-Stik Division One North clash with Ossett Albion, they asked fans to pay what they want to get in. And they were rewarded with their second highest attendance at Stainton Park this season.

Even more to their credit, every penny went towards buying a life-saving defibrillator. But other clubs should look at initiatives like this. If the loss in gatemoney isn’t off-set by the extra pie and pint sales, then it may at the very least entice some first-timers back again.

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